I love all the breeds you mentioned...but due to prejudice by the ignorant, most view those breeds as dangerous or aggressive (although it is entirely up to how the dog is treated). But I am a big fan of the "collie" type dogs, and the only real other interest would be a dalmation. Oh yea...and I live in Ohio, so while it does get pretty warm, hopefully not too hot!

Do you have any of the dogs u mentioned? I do realize I was wanting recommendations and didn't mean to dismiss your post. Part of me is hoping someone has the breeds I mentioned- and might clue me in. But...if outstanding reviews come from other breeds, I am not completely set.

I have a lab, an ABPT )American Pit Bull Terrier, and some type of field hound (think it's a Plotthound mix). All three are very good natured, with the lab and the pit being younger and pretty gregarious, the hound very docile and sweet (15 Y/O). All 3 are extremely athletic and can clear a 5 ft fence easily, although Ruckus the pit prefers to knock or tear the fence down. They can all run all day, but Eboney , the hound, is faster than greased lightning.
Tim

Unfortunately, I don't have I dog right now, since I live in an appartement. My grandparents have a black lab/pitt bull cross. Really sweet old dog (must be over 12-years old by now). She's very gentle and friendly with people, especially kids, but dominant with other dogs. As far as she's concerned, every human in the family is above her (even babys) and ever dog is below her (and better not forget it).

Once, when my sisters chocholate lab was young he ran over and jumped up on her, apparently trying to get her to play. In a flash she had him pinned on his back (though he outweighted her by 10 or 15 lbs). She didn't actually hurt him, but he never jumped on her again.

Meanwhile, my parents have another crossbreed. Her mother was a chocholate lab and her father was a dachshund. My dad calls her a Bratwurst (like a hotdog only bigger). She's chocholate brown in color and weighs about 32-34 lbs with a long body and short legs. She's as hyper as a young lab, and as stubborn and tenacious as a dachshund, plus she's very smart and surprisingly fast. One of her favorite things to do (unfortunatly) is hunt animals in the backyard. So far she's caught and killed several rabbits, a bird, at least one chipmunk and a skunk.

She's also, very affectionate, and although she plays rough with my father and I, she's very gentle with my son (he's one).

My first dog was a 30 lb mutt named Luca (after Luca Brazzi from the Godfather). He was already 8 or 9 years-old when I was born and lived to almost 17 (I was 9 when he died). Still, in spite of his age, he was a constant companion for me growing up, and litterally willing to risk his life protect me. Once, when a German Shepherd jumped the fence into the backyard and snarled at my sister and I, Luca scared it off. That dog was over twice his size and he didn't even hesitate.

I'm new here, but I do have an insight on dog selection. Obviously any puppy is going to have boundless energy, that's a given. If you raise the dog by going on runs and exercising them, the dog will always look forward to it as the years go on and never not want to go. So breed probably doesn't matter. In fact, I would look at it more as which breed can you actually offer the right amount of exercise too. In other words "which breed can the human keep up with?" Dogs don't generally have the distractions that humans do i.e: jobs, children etc. so they are ALWAYS up for activity, and some require more than others.
Heres an example of what I mean: we had a rottie for 13 years. After getting through his puppy phase, he was just as content to lay around as he was to be active. He never really showed signs of being unhappy about being sedentary, but would always be willing to get up and play. Truly an awesome dog.
Now, we have a Boxer: This guy is awesome as well, but very different. He needs to play and run or the consequences are obvious. If he sits around for a couple days, he drives everyone nuts. Don't get me wrong, he can sleep all day and love it, but the next day, he better be able to burn off some steam or he will be a pain in the ass around the house. He has endless reserves of energy and can play / run all day long and still be ready for more, but he only needs about 1/2 hour - 1 hour of quality running / playing to be happy and less of a P.I.T.A. around the house.

My brother, who is an ironman athlete has a mutt type of dog with a lot of "labrador" traits. This dog is also a cardio machine. My brother will go on long training runs (marathons) in the woods and he says the dog runs off leash the entire time. The dog runs ahead of, around, behind, back-forth etc for the entire 26 miles. (My brother estimates the dog easily does twice as much mileage as him). That's crazy, considering that afterwards the dog is seemingly un-phased and ready to keep going.
Anyway, once you narrow down the breed, select the dog from a litter where you can actually see different character traits. If you want an active dog, select the most active from the litter. Mellower dog, mellower dog from litter etc.
I am never one to push "my way is the best" on anyone. So please don't take this next comment as that: You might want to learn more about the boxer breed. They are extremely athletic, love doing different types of agility and speed activities, and never run out of enthusiasm. Not sure of your family situation, but we have the toddler from hell, and the dog has an endless tolerance for the abuse commonly given from small kids. My daughter lays on him, pulls him, hits him (when we are not looking, of course) and he just lays there, never even seeming to mind. Occasionally she will sit next to (read: on top of) the dog, usually he just scoots over so she actually does end up next to him, but occasionally he just gets up and moves to the other couch.
Sorry about the ramble, hope this helps. Good Luck
edit: if you read up on the boxers temperament, you will find that they are not considered an aggressive breed what so ever, probably the exact opposite. Not that I believe any of the typical BS reputations about certain breeds, it's all in the handler, but a few breeds do present insurance premium surcharges. It's unfortunate that the wrong kind of people end up owning breeds that CAN BE TRAINED OR MISTREATED to become aggressive and destructive, which otherwise would be great dogs.

It makes sense when you think about it. Breeds like Boxers, Pitt Bull Terriers, the American Bulldog and the mastiff types were all originally developed for guard work, big game hunting and bloodsports like bullbaiting and dogfighting. These uses produced dogs with great strength, physical toughness and very high pain tolerance, traits that persist to this day.

Ironically, these same traits are what make these breeds able to shrug off the mauling of toddlers and rough play of older children. People say they're good family dogs in spite of their breed histories, but really they're good family dogs BECAUSE of their breed histories.

PS.) It seems that insurance premiums are often based more on assumption than actual research (After all, research costs money). For example, I remember reading a few years ago that Cocker Spaniels are (or at least were) responsible for more serious dog bites (those requiring medical attention) each year than any other breed in the US. This was presumedly due to the large number of inbred, neorotic, puppy-mill, Cocker Spaniels.

Also, Boxers are not on the insurance hit list. my premium went down after losing the Rottie.
Another note about boxers, they are total goofballs in personality. they will do things that they know will get a reaction from the master. A sense of humor in a dog is rare, but boxers definitely have one. That is actually what i was referring to when I said they need their play time. If they don't get the proper amount, they become silly and mischievous.

My grandfather told me once that when he was young Chows had a particularly infamous reputation. Meanwhile, when I was young Dobermans got an especially bad rap (though not so much recently). Likewise, Pitt Bulls and Rotties didn't always have the negative image they have today. The original Petie from "Our Gang" was a registered American Pitt Bull Terrier. Likewise, General Patton owned one and Teddy Roosevelt kept one at the Whitehouse durring his presidancy.

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